Internal-combustion engine.



L. F. CLARK. y INTERNAL coMBUsTwN ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED NOY.20, 1911. EENEWBD JAN. 2, 1914. I 1,106,365, Patented Aug.11,1914

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L. P. CLARK.' INTERNAL ooMBUsTIoN- ENGINE. AAAAAA AEIoN FILED Nov. zo, 1911. EENEWEE JAN. 1914.

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L. P. CLARK. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV.20, 1911. RBNEWBD JAN. 2, 1 914.

I 1,106,365, l Patented Aug.11,1914

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LoUIs rnnNcIs CLARK-'cr GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, AssreNon or ONE-HALF To InvINe A. ANDER-SON, or enANn nArms, MIcnrGA-N.

Specification of lLetters Patent.

INTnaNAncoMisusrIoN ENGINE.

Patented Aug. 11,- 1914i.

Application filed November 2i), 1911, Serial No. 661,369. Renewed Januar-y 2:1914. Serial No; 810,051.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis FRANCIS CLARK, a citizen of the United -States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and'State" of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin ln- .ternalCombu`stion Engines; and I do here- I-by declarethe following to be a full, clear,-

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled-in the art to which it appertains' to make and use the' same.

My invention relates to improvements in linternal combustion engines and more particularly to that type commonly known as the .four cycle engine and its object is todo away with the ordinary puppet valves and mechanism connected therewith used i-n this type of engineand to providean engine sim- .driven by gea-rs fromthe crank shaft of the engine, push rods or like devices to' operate the valves frointhe cam shaft. and springs vto hold the valves normally closed, This valve operating mechanism is objectionable because of the various parts employed, the liability of these parts to become worn and getout of adjustment and the -noise made by this mechanism when in operation. In my newly invented engine I- do away altogether with the puppet val-ves and their operating mechanism by using a device hereafter more fully described'and particularly pointed out in theclaims reference'being had to the ac `compv'anying drawings, in which :-4

Figure 1 is a vertical section of an engine embodying my invention, this section lbeing taken throi'lghthe axis of the crank shaft; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the engine showing the inlet and outlet pipes and carbureters; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional details ofa portion ofthecylinder with the piston showingthree -different etages of the operation of the engine, thesegiignres are viewed from the direction of the inletand outlet ports; Figs. 6, 7 and S are respectively horizontal sections on the lines 6 6, 7-7 and 8-8 of Figs. 3, 4 and 5; Fig. 9 isat leer view with the crank shaft.

the rotating ring which 'carries the uprightl bar to rotate the' piston; and Fig. 14 is a vertical sectional detail showing a ortion of the said ring and bar .together withthe gear attached to the ring.

Like numbers refer to like parts in allof the figures. f

1 represents, the crank case provided with ,bearings in which the crank shaft Qfis jourria-led; -the flywheel; 4 the cylinder; the piston; 6 the connecting rod which is attached in the usual way' to the crank at its' lower endand connected -to the piston atits upper end'to both swing in the piston andto permit the piston to rotate thereon, preferably by a ball and socket joint 7. A half time shaft 8 is ournaled in a bushing .in the crank case and is located above and parallel This half time shaft 8 is provided with a gear 9 which meshes with the gear 10 fixed o'n the crank shaft.

These' gears -are yof such proportion that the shaft 8 will be vdriven at half the speed of the crank shaft. A bevel gear Sais also fixed on the half time shaft andmeshes with and drives-l the bevel gear l1.which rotates at right angles to the crank shaft. The gear 11 is attached to a ring 12 rotatably mounted at the base ofthe cylinder, l.and an upwardly extending bart 13 is'mounted on the ring 12 and rotates therewith. The upper end of this bar 13 projects into the piston and is vertically slidable in a plate 14sttached in the lower part of the piston. As the gear 11 and ring 12 rotate they will also rotate the piston by means of the bar 13, the piston being free to reciprocate verticallyon said'bar.

In order to admit the combustible mixture to the cylinder and exhaust the burned charges therefrom, an inlet port 15 and exhaust port 16 areprovided i1 the lower part of the cylinder'and are covered at' all tunes by the piston. The piston is provided with a passage 17 segmental in horizontal section and open at its top 'through the piston head.

time in the operation of the engine they will communicate with the ports 15 and 16 in the cylinder wall to admit the charge or to exhaust it from the. cylinder through the chamber 17. In order to prevent the incoming or outgoing c harge from escaping through the wrong port by-following'whatever space there may be between the piston and cylinder wall compression bars 21 arranged longitudinally of the piston are let into the side of the piston and held in con-4 tact with the cylinder wall by springs 22.

The operation of this engine is as. follows. Assuming the piston to be at the end of its working stroke and about to-begin the ex haust or scavenging stroke as shown in Fig. 3. At this point the port20 in the piston is partially opposite the exhaust port 16 in the cylinder wall. As the piston rises on` its exhaust or scavenging stroke it will also r0- tate within the cylinder and the ports in its side will follow a helical path exposin first the port 20and then the port 19 to t e exhaust port 16 and allowing the burned gas within the cylinder to escape through the passage 17 and the exhaust outlet. The position of the piston at the end of this stroke is illustrated in Fig. 4. The piston now is about to begin its inspiration stroke. In doing this it travels downward and rotates at the same time exposing the ports 19 and 18 to the inlet port 15 in the cylinder Wall thus allowing the suction produced in the l:ylinder to draw in a fresh charge Athrough the carbureter. The piston is shown at the completion of this stroke in Fig. 5. To complete the cycle of operations the piston must now travel upward on its compression stroke and downward again on its working stroke in order to again attain the position shown in Fig. 8. During these two strokes the ports 18, 19 and 20 are opposite the solid cylinder wall consequently, no gas can escape through them. The half time shaft 8 also serves as a shaft for the usual commutator or timer 28.

In-the foregoing description, I havenot attempted to describe any specific ignition system, as any form of ignition commonly used at the present time may be used on this engine and any other accessory parts will also be any of the ordinary types.

It will be clearly seen that this engine is simple and comparatively cheap to construct there being no valves to be accurately seated and timed, the inlet and outlet passages to and from-the cylinder being accurately and positively timed, by the means heretofore described. This mechanism is also practically -noiseless in (peration as such moving parts which usual y tend to produce noise may be conveniently vinclosed within the crank case of the engine.

What I claim is 1. An internal combustion engine, comprising a crank case, a cylinder mounted on thecase and having ports in its side, a piston both reciprocable and rotative in the cylinder and having a port to communicate with said cylinder ports and with the interior of the cylinder, a crankshaft in the case connected to thel piston, gn annular rotating member within the crank case, means for actuating said member from the crank shaft, and means extending within the cylinder and carried around near the wall of the same by said rotating member, said means having slidable engagement with the piston, to rotate the same.

2. An vinternal combustion engine, comprising a crank case, a cylinder mounted on the case and havin ports in its side, a piston both reciprocab e and rotative in the cylinder and having a port to communicate with said ports and with the interior of the cylinder, a crank shaft in the case connected to the piston, gearing inclosed within the A cy inder, a rod connected to the piston at' one end and to the crank shaft at the otherl end, an annular gear surrounding the connecting rod and spaced apartl therefrom, half time gearing connecting the said gear .and the crank shaft and a rod carried by the said gear slidably engaging the piston to ro tate the same.

4. An internal combustlon engine, comprising a cylinder having ports 1n lts s1de,a

piston both reciprocable and rotative in said cylinder and having a lateral opening to communicate with said ports and a vertical passage open at the top and communicating with said opening near the bottom, means for operating said piston, a verticallyxlisposed rod slidable in the side of the piston, a gear carrying the rod around at a distance from the axis of the cylinder and means for rotating said gear operated by the engine.

5. An internal combustion engine, comprising a case, a crank shaft journaled in the case, a-` cylinder.mounted on the case and havin an inlet `port and an exhaust port in its si e spaced apart, a ,piston both reciprocable and rotative in the cylinder, a rod connecting the piston and crank shaft, an annular miter gear surrounding. the connecting rod and spaced apart therefrom, a timer shaft journaled in the case, half time gears connecting said shaft and the crank shaft, a In testimony whereof 1 ax my signature miter gear mounted on said timer shaft and in presence of two Witnesses.

'engaginfr the annular' Gear to rotate the same ani a rod carried y the annular gear LOUIS FRANCS CLARK' and sldably engagilig the piston to rotate' I Witnesses:

the same one revolution to each ycle of the RANSOM S. HAWLEY,

engine. KARL L. Kom.

ope of @him potent may he obtame for lve cents each, by adressing the Gommissioner oi' Eatmite.

- Washington, 2Q. C. 

